9am Briefing: Police swoop on suspected drug dealers

Another seven people were arrested after raids in Stenhouse and Wester Hailes as part of Operation Accessible.

In the past three days of raids, 35 men and two women suspected of theft and drug offences have been arrested.

* FIREFIGHTERS had to don special dust masks as they tackled a blaze at an industrial unit after it was discovered there was asbestos in the roof.

A total of 35 firefighters were called to the single-storey workshop at Newbattle Abbey business park in Dalkeith at around 9.15pm yesterday and found the building well alight. A total of 35 fire personnel attended and a turntable ladder was brought in when the flames spread to the roof.

The fire was upgraded to a chemical incident when the asbestos was discovered and the firefighters working closest to the blaze put on dust masks.

The crews who had attended initially had to have their fire gear decontaminated when they returned to their stations in Dalkeith and Musselburgh.

The cause of the blaze has not yet been established and fire investigation crews were expected at the scene today.

* FORECASTERS have warned there could be more gales on the way in the coming weeks after a day which saw the Lothians whipped by gusts which toppled trees, damaged buildings, and brought travel chaos.

The Met Office says that more low pressure areas heading from the Atlantic to Scotland means that the country may not have seen the back of the worst winds in 25 years.

Weather recording equipment yesterday registered wind on Blackford Hill of up to 77mph, while gusts of 86mph were clocked on the Forth Road Bridge.

While the city escaped the brunt of a storm that laid siege to the west of Scotland, the transport network was left in chaos.

* AN inquest into the mystery death of an Edinburgh soldier in Afghanistan was set to take place today.

Highlander Scott McLaren, of the 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was found dead with gunshot wounds after vanishing from a Nato checkpoint in central Helmand province on July 4 this year.

The disappearance of the 20-year-old from Sighthill sparked a 17-hour search and it is understood the military believe he was killed by enemy forces. However, the circumstances of his death remain unclear.